A.J. Green, Andy Dalton call for players to better police on-field safety for one another

Cincinnati Bengals stars were outspoken about player safety a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday that was marred by injuries and personal fouls.

After watching several players from both teams get hurt, A.J. Green and Andy Dalton made a point to speak out about how players can help each other on the field.

Dalton was first, telling reporters after the game it’s time players take responsibility for how they play: “It’s a big part of it. We’re the ones that are out there. You have to understand to play the game the right way. There’s a big part of this league that realizes that and handles it the right way. We’re the ones out there, so we have to police it.”

Green followed when asked about the hit that knocked Vontaze Burfict out on a stretcher and cart.

“It’s not called for,” Green said. “We already play a dangerous sport. We all put our lives on the line when we come out here every week, and you don’t want anything like that to happen to a player, no matter what team you play for or how big the rivalry is. We have to protect each other. We already play a high-injury sport.”

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Burfict wasn’t the only one injured, of course. Joe Mixon went down after taking a shoulder to the head, and Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier was hospitalized with a spinal injury after lowering his head on a tackle attempt early in the game.

While this is certainly typical for these heated rivals, it’s good to see prominent names stepping up and calling for improvements from all parties.

After all, the league can set as many rules as it wants — it’s up to the players to adhere to them, putting livelihoods and families above the emotions of a rivalry.

That certainly didn’t happen Monday night and certainly hasn’t in the past. If all involved are lucky, the final meeting between the two this year serves as a wake-up call and things improve the next time they meet.